


Ace

by The_Scribe



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-07-01 17:58:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15779178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Scribe/pseuds/The_Scribe
Summary: A young girl is found and saved by Supergirl and quickly piques the interest of those at the DEO.





	1. Mystery

She was falling. Falling hard. Falling fast. She couldn’t stop it. Lightning cracked around her as thunder rolled overhead.  
She couldn’t remember what happened. She couldn’t remember who she was or where she came from. She knew was the ground was drawing steadily nearer at a speed that was much faster than she deemed comfortable. She knew the stormy sky was dark - that no moon was in sight. Everything else was a blur.  
Her arms flailed - her stomach dropping nearly as quickly as the rest of her body. Was that scream hers?  
She could see the tops of buildings, moving cars, billboards. The sudden lights were blinding.  
She was going to die.  
Feet before she hit the ground, somebody grabbed her. She was laid on the side of a road and stared up to see the face of her savior.  
Blond hair, bright eyes that held both intensity and kindness. A blue and red suit with a letter 'S' printed on the chest. “I’ll be right back.” The girl leaped into the air. Who was she? The girl flew several feet away, and that’s when she saw the other figure. Something felt familiar about him, but she couldn’t place where from. She could do nothing more than watch the other girl fight him. She wanted to help, but when she tried to get up, a sharp pain ran through her entire body. A pain like nothing she had ever felt before. She immediately dropped back down.  
The girl punched the man in the jaw and he flew several feet before crashing down. “Get out of National City and never come back,” the girl warned. Moments later, she was kneeling down by the rescued child. “You’re badly hurt, but it’s okay, I’m going to get you help. Can you tell me your name?”  
She shook her head.  
“That’s okay. I’m Supergirl. Is there anything you can tell me?” She ran a hand through the girl’s hair. “Do you know what happened?”  
She shook her head once again.  
“I’m going to take you to safety.” She picked the girl up and leapdc into the air once again.  
A few seconds later, her head fell against Supergirl’s arm. She had gone unconscious.

“You brought her here?” Alex asked. “Why would you do that?”  
“She’s hurt. We don’t know who she is or where she’s from. For all we know, she could be an alien and you both know we can’t take an alien to the hospital.”  
“I hate to say it,” J’onn said. “But Supergirl is right. We have to learn more about that girl before we release her. Supergirl did the right thing.”  
“Thank you,” Supergirl said.  
“Don’t thank me yet. For all we know, she could be a hostile.”  
“She’s a kid. How could she be a hostile? What could she possibly do to hurt someone?”  
“Don’t underestimate people,” Alex said. “You know what she could be capable of. You’ve seen it millions of times.”  
“I don’t think she’s dangerous. I can feel it. You didn’t see her out there.”  
“Be cautious with that child,” J’onn said. “Alex, keep an extra eye on her.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
The girl was still asleep when they got to the infirmary. She lay, perfectly still on the raised bed. Her face was covered in bruises and abrasions and the rest of her didn't look much better. Her blood pressure was being gauged, but that was the only thing they had done.  
“She needs those wounds checked,” Supergirl said. “She’s still unstable.”  
Alex was already working on it. “Her leg’s broken. Do you see anything internal?” Alex asked.  
“Two cracked ribs. I think that’s it, but you may want to run better tests.”  
“Will do, thank you.” Alex started by wrapping her leg, and then her ribs. “I’m going to take some blood tests.”

Alex drew a vial and, with everyone following suit, took it to the lab and put it into the machine. It scanned the blood quickly, spinning so fast the natural eye couldn't see the rotations. After only a few minutes, her blood appeared on screen. “It looks like normal, human blood to - what is that?”  
“What is what?” Supergirl asked.  
Alex pointed at the screen. “That right there. It’s fragmented. There’s a lot of them. Some fragmentation is normal, but at this quantity it's highly unusual. ”  
“What’s that mean?”  
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to do more research."  
“Make it fast. I need all the information I can get.” Supergirl turned and walked from the room.  
“Kara - “ She was already gone.  
Alex turned back to the screen with a long sigh.  
“She has an affinity for that kid,” J’onn said.  
“It's like you read her mind," Alex said.  
“Doesn’t take a mind reader to see it. She wouldn’t have brought her here otherwise. And she wouldn’t be going to visit her now if she didn’t.”

Supergirl sat down on the bed next to the girl. She had short blond hair that was sticky with blood. “You’re going to be okay.” Supergirl grabbed her hand. She was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes. Maybe it was the fact she had lost Mon-El twice, or all the crazy that had been going on lately making her extra sensitive.  
A moment later, the girls' eyes fluttered open. She pulled her hand away from Supergirl, looking at her with a mix of fear and confusion. Supergirl watched as she tried to sit up, cried out in pain, and fell back again. She momentarily turned a sickly shade of green.  
“Your ribs are broken. You need to take it easy.”  
“You saved me,” the girl croaked.  
“That’s kind of my job. I'm sorry I have to ask, but is there anything you remember? Anything at all? You don't need to be afraid. You can talk to me.”  
‘I don’t know anything. I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”  
“It’s okay. I’m sure we can get your memories back. For now, you need some rest. Is there something I can call you?”  
“I can’t remember my name. I can’t remember anything.” Her breathing began to quicken and she winced in pain. Her heart rate shot up and her breaths became more and more shallow.  
“Okay, okay. Calm down. It’s okay.” She moved a hand to rest it on the girl’s head. “I got you. It’s okay. Breathe through it. You’re having a panic attack. You just need to breathe through it. Breathe with me.”  
It took several minutes, but the girl eventually calmed down. Supergirl held onto the kid the entire time. She wished she could pull her into her arms - hugs are always the best comfort - but it would only cause the girl more pain. She had been crying, sobbing, and when she finally calmed down, her cheeks were a bright pink and her eyes bloodshot.  
“I’m going to leave you alone now. I don't want you to get too overwhelmed. Get some sleep.”  
As Supergirl got up to leave, the girl grabbed her hand. Supergirl looked back down at her, expression softening. She sat back down, giving the girl a kind smile and squeezing her hand softly.


	2. Discovery

“Hey,” Winn said, not looking up from his computer screen. “What’s been going on?”  
Alex stopped next to Winn’s desk. “Take a look at this. We got a sample of the kid’s blood.” She pressed a few buttons on her tablet and the blood sample appeared on the set of screens in front of them.  
“Are all of those fragmented? I’ve never seen so many like that before.”  
“Her cells are either regenerating or tearing themselves apart rapidly. The sample isn’t live, so I have no way of knowing which.”  
“If her cells are regenerating, that would make her a metahuman. She could -”  
“She could be healed within a matter of hours,” Alex finsihed.  
“But if they’re degenerating . . .”  
“She’s on her deathbed. Winn, I need you to find out everything you can about this girl.” With another press of a button, her picture appeared on the screen. “Run facial recognition. I need everything. Medical history, family, if she so much as had a goldfish, I want to know its name.”  
“Why do you need all that?” Winn asked.  
“So I know we haven’t just brought in the enemy.”  
“Can’t that wait? Shouldn’t we focus on saving her life first.”  
“Just find it, Winn.”  
“Yes ma’am.”

Alex practically ran to the exam room. Supergirl was there, holding the girl’s hand. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?”  
“Of course,” Supergirl said, then turned to the girl. “Give me just a minute.”  
When Supergirl reached the hall, Alex gave a forced smile.  
“What’s wrong?”  
“It’s possible her blood cells are degenerating.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“Kara, if I don’t figure this out now, she could die.”  
“Well, how do you figure it out? You have to help her. Alex?” Supergirl wrung her hands together. “There has to be something.”  
Alex sighed, her eyes found the floor. “I’m not sure. There’s any number of things it could be, but my best guess is it’s not human. I hardly know where to begin.”  
“Well, figure it out. I didn’t save that sweet girl’s life just to have her die.”  
“Kara . . .”  
“Figure it out, Alex.” She turned on her heel and strutted back into the exam room.  
“What’s wrong?” The girl asked.  
Alex, who had followed Supergirl into the room, forced another smile. “You’re hurt pretty badly. I’m going to need to run some more tests, okay? My name is Alex.”  
“Hi.” The girl forced a smile.  
“How are you feeling?” Alex asked. “Can you give me your pain level on a scale of one to ten?”  
“Maybe like, a six.”  
“Okay. That’s good. You must be pretty tough to only be at a six.”  
“Or half of my body’s gone numb.”  
Both Alex and Supergirl’s eyes widened in fear. “Seriously?” Alex asked. “How long have you been numb?”  
“Half an hour, probably,” the girl said.  
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Supergirl asked.  
Alex placed a hand on the girl’s leg. “Can you feel that?” She shook her head. “Can you squeeze my fingers?” She grabbed the girl’s hand.  
“Yeah.” She tried, but couldn’t do it, however, she seemed unaware of her inability. “How was that?”  
“She was holding my hand just a minute ago,” Supergirl whispered.  
Alex gave Supergirl a worried look. “That was great, sweetie. I’m going to do another blood draw, okay?”  
“What could this be?” Supergirl asked, still under her breath.  
“Possible severe anemia.”  
“Hey, uh, Alex, Supergirl,” Winn appeared at the door. “I got the info.”  
If it were anyone else, Alex would have been surprised at the speed of the results, but this was Winn. He could do anything as long as a keyboard was in front of him.  
They followed him out of the room, where Winn threw up his information on a large monitor. “There wasn’t much to find. Fourteen years old. Barely. Her name is Acelynn Abbott. There’s no family history. No medical history. What I do know is she was in a foster home for about a year and then she disappeared until you found her yesterday.”  
“That’s it?” Supergirl asked. “That’s all we have?”  
“That, and the results of her last blood test. Her cells are degenerating. They are breaking apart and dying. And so is she.”  
“That’s not a good thing,” Winn said.  
“We have to find a cure now,” Supergirl said.  
“With no history, no cause. How are we going to do that?”  
“I need you to find who she was with yesterday,” Alex said.  
“The man who attacked her? I’m on it.” Before Alex could say another word, she shot out of the room. That seemed to be a trend today.  
“So, like, what’s going on with her?” Winn asked. “I’ve never seen her so determined to save someone she just met.”  
“Wish I knew.”


	3. Chapter 3

Supergirl flew from the building and stopped just above the skyscrapers. She scanned the skies for any sign of the man from the night before. Any sound, any   
sight. Anything. The sounds of city streets, of people laughing, of dogs barking, all faded away. And then she found it. The voice of the man she was looking for became clear in her mind.  
“We won’t fail next time,” the man said.   
Supergirl scowled and zoomed toward the voice. It lead her to an abandoned building. The door was busted, and her footsteps echoed through the dark room. Nobody was in there. She scanned the room, a trap door quickly made itself known. It had been hidden under a dusty rug. Supergirl grabbed the rug and threw it halfway across the room. A cloud of dust formed like a nuclear cloud. The trap door revealed a flight of stairs that lead her into a labyrinth of an underground fortress. She walked along the dimly lit hallway. After an attempt at X-ray vision, Supergirl realized the walls were lined with lead. Odd. She walked down several corridors until coming to a halt in front of what seemed to be the only occupied room. For a moment, Supergirl considered doing this civilly, but then she thought about that poor little girl who was on the verge of death. Those ideas quickly disappeared. With a kick, the door flew open. Three people stood together, each of whom turned to look into Supergirl’s icy stare.   
“I believe we have some unfinished business.”

Acelynn was getting worse. Her heart rate had shot up, she was sweating profusely, and she had to be given oxygen. She had already been given several pints of blood, but nothing seemed to help.  
“What can we do?” Winn asked.  
“We’ve done everything we can,” J’onn said with a shrug.   
“We just have to pray Supergirl finds the answer,” Alex said. “And fast.” She put a hand on Acelynn's. Alex may have been weary of her, but she couldn't help feeling bad for the girl. She was beginning to understand Supergirl's sudden fondness. Acelynn was a fighter.

“Supergirl,” the man said. He had dark hair pulled into a man bun, golden eyes that burned hatred, and a long, crooked nose.  
“I need answers. Now,” Supergirl said, taking a step toward them.  
She shot forward and the man dodged her blow. One woman grabbed her arm and Supergirl spun around, placing her in a headlock before throwing her to the against the wall. The other two rushed to help and Supergirl punched one man before grabbing the shirt of the other. “Just who I was looking for.” She leaped into the air, flying through several stories before making it out into the open air.   
The man reached forward and grabbed Supergirl around the throat, squeezing it tightly. He was surprisingly strong. Supergirl reached the nearest rooftop just before losing her grip. She shoved him away from her, but he immediately jolted forward, punching Supergirl across the face. They went for nearly a minute back and forth before Supergirl slammed in him into the ground, using her super strength to hold him down.  
“Tell me what I need to know and I will let you go.”  
“Deal making does not seem to be your style,” the man said.  
“I’m making an exception. Acelynn Abbott. What did you do to her?”  
The man smiled. “She was an experiment. A failed one, obviously. That’s why I got rid of her.”  
“What did you do to her?”  
“She’s dying, isn’t she? It’s a pretty miserable way to go. Your body destroying itself from the inside out while you feel every bit of it.”  
“How do I reverse it? Tell me. Now,” Supergirl demanded, shoving him harder against the concrete.  
“There is no way. No use keeping something that’s just going to die. Get the coffin ready. She’ll be gone within the hour.”  
“You’re lying.” Supergirl hit him again. “Tell me how to help her.”  
A black and blue bruise was left where Supergirl hit him, blood oozing from his lip. “A device was embedded in her heart. Take it out and she may live.”  
“Thank you. You’re coming with me.”  
“I thought we had a deal.”  
“I’m not letting you go until the kid is okay. What you did is disgusting. You’re going to see it through to the end.”

“We need to sedate her,” Alex said. She rifled through a drawer for a moment before picking up a syringe and a vial. As she started to fill it, Acelynn made a noise through the intubation tube. It was very faint, but it was there.   
“Whoa whoa whoa whoa,” Winn said, holding up a hand. “Hold on. She just made a noise.”  
Alex paused. “That’s impossible.”  
“She did. I promise. Listen.” Winn leaned over her. “Can you do that again?”  
It took several long seconds, but another squeak came from her mouth.   
“Do you need something?” Alex gave Winn a surprised look. “Blink once for yes and twice for no. Are you trying to talk to us?”  
One blink.  
“Okay, uh - “ Winn thought. “Is it something you need?”  
One blink. And then another.  
“Something you want?” Winn asked.  
One blink.  
“Okay. Okay. Can one of us do it for you?” Alex asked.  
One blink.  
“Do you need it from Winn?”  
Two blinks.  
“From me?”   
One blink.  
“Okay,” Winn said, glancing around. “Let me think. Can she do it in this room?”  
One blink.  
“Is it on her person? Is she holding it?”  
The girl glanced at the syringe in Alex’s hand, then blinked once.  
“The syringe,” Alex said. She paused a moment, setting the syringe down so she could squeeze the girl's shoulder. “Sweetie, don’t worry. This is going to help you sleep.”  
She blinked twice.  
“Do you want me to give it to you?” Alex asked.  
Two blinks.  
Alex and Winn exchanged a look. “Sweetheart, this will help you. You need it.”  
She had tears in her eyes and she, again, blinked twice. When Alex picked the syringe back up, the girl began to struggle. She could only move her head, but the look of desperation in her eyes was enough to cause Alex to pause.  
“Okay. I won’t give it to you.” Alex said. "Is there a reason you don't want it? Just . . . try to tell me what I can do for you. Do you need something else?"  
One blink. She opened her mouth, fighting against the machine.   
“I think she wants to intubation tube out,” Winn suggested.   
“We can’t take out the tube,” Alex said.   
One blink.   
They went back and forth another several times before Alex gave in. “Fine, but I will place it back in at the first sign of trouble.” She let out a long sigh before pulling it out.  
Immediately, the girl began to struggle to breathe. She wheezed for fresh air, her breaths were short and shallow.  
“I’m putting it back in,” Alex said. "This was a mistake."  
“No,” the girl gasped. “If I’m going to die. I won’t do it like that.”  
“Acelynn, you are not going to die. We are going to save you.”  
“Don’t waste your time.” She had to draw a breath between each word.  
“Whoa, hey, kid. It’s not a waste of time," Winn said.  
Supergirl appeared suddenly in the room. “There’s a device implant on her heart. You need to remove it.”  
“We scanned her for foreign bodies and nothing presented itself.”  
“It’s been designed to imitate human tissue.”  
“Okay. That makes sense why her blood was attacked first. It’s time to save a life.”


End file.
